Growing up, I was not a strong reader. That changed with the help of some influential family members and inspiring teachers. I became a bookworm and libraries became a sacred, safe space for me. I took my experience into my practice as an English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) teacher. Teaching refugees and immigrants, I frequently witnessed their struggle and frustration with reading. I told them about my own journey, which had the effect of ‘bursting the bubble’; the teacher was not an all-knowing machine of information but also a human with strengths and weaknesses. I encouraged their renewed efforts with reading. Our Teacher Librarian (TL) was highly invested in reading and supplied the school with programs like Accelerated Reader. I ran competitions with my classes using this program to boost students’ interest and reading ability. My TL was also invested in digital programs such as ClickView which I also utilised.
I took my classes to the library to engage in ‘research’ on the school computers to complete classwork and helped them to find books to read for enjoyment or for assignment purposes. I participated in after-school tutoring programs and supported seniors in the library during their study periods.
This was where my knowledge of the library ended. I had a rudimentary understanding of what it meant to be a TL. I vaguely understood that TLs provide physical access to information and services (Australian Library and Information Association, 2016).
I encouraged reading and use of the library spaces and programs to help students to complete their assignments. Yet, I still found there was a fundamental skill my students were lacking; the ability to research and to use that research effectively. There is much literature showing “the dominance of Internet use amongst children” ( Laretive, 2019, p. 6). I saw this often; students rarely sought information from books, instead they turned to Google. Thus, online researching was a skill I would attempt to teach. It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t until I started this course that the role of a TL as an information specialist was made clear to me. I now understand that TLs have the responsibility and the knowledge to provide students with the information literacy skills to help them to become competent researchers. This skill is becoming more paramount as we move further into the age of the digital information landscape.
As TLs we have a unique role. Not only do we specialise in information and digital literacy, we consider students’ differing learning needs and abilities and can use this to inform our teaching of the curriculum (Laretive, 2019, p.8).
Another key role of the TL, which I have yet to learn, is our role in community engagement. Coming from a 92% LBOTE (language background other than English) school population, there was no real connection between the library and the students’ families or wider community. I have only begun to research the role of TLs and school libraries in Developing a Networked School Community by “providing home access to library holdings” for example, parents can be included. (Lee & Finger, 2010, p. 25).
At this stage of my studies, there is one thing I can say for certain; the more I learn about the role of a Teacher Librarian, the more I feel there is to learn.
References:
Australian Library and Information Association. (2016). ALIA-ASLA statement on teacher librarians in Australia. Australian Library and Information Association. https://www.alia.org.au/about-alia/policies-standards-and-guidelines/alia-asla-statement-teacher-librarians-australia
Laretive, J. (2019). Information Literacy, Young Learners and the Role of the Teacher Librarian. Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association, 68 (3), 225-235, doi: 10.1080/24750158.2019.1649795
Lee, M., & Finger, G. (2010). Developing a Networked School Community A guide to realising the vision. Camberwell: Australian Council for Educational Research.
What a great post, and you are so right, the more we learn, the more there is to learn! This is one of the best things about being a TL I think, we all have to love learning!